My six-month-old grandson has been diagnosed as having an E. coli infection. What are the common routes of infection? Can you suggest any sources of i...

Question

My six-month-old grandson has been diagnosed as having an E. coli infection. What are the common routes of infection?

Can you suggest any sources of information?

Answer

I'm sorry to hear your grandson has picked up an E. coliinfection and hope he's not too badly affected by it.

The bacterium E. coli 0157 is the most common toxin-producing strain. It is responsible for human disease in the UK.

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Most cases occur in the summer and early autumn, usually in children under the age of five.

Typically the infection results from eating contaminated beef products or milk, although transmission from person to person can also occur.

Unpasteurised apple juice has also been found to be a source of E. coli 0157 and children have been known to contract the infection from animals during farm visits.

E. coli 0157 usually causes mild diarrhoea that settles without treatment in less than two weeks in most people. In some cases it progresses to a more serious illness, causing severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea.

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